This week saw the return of the BBC's The Real Marigold Hotel, a travel documentary series wherein a group of nine famous senior celebrities pack their bags and head to India, for a once in a lifetime trip uncovering the fascinating history, wonderful scenery and unique cultural differences of this kaleidoscopic destination.

Stopovers are often seen as somewhat of an inconvenience when travelling, with the mere mention of the word conjuring up unappealing thoughts of hours of boredom sat in a busy airport lounge - but that doesn't have to be the case.

The world is a weird place. It’s not something we always appreciate as we go about our day-to-day lives, but every so often you learn something about this planet of ours, suspended in a potentially infinite cosmos, that makes you stop and pause for thought.

70 years ago, on the 15th of August 1947 India became the country that we know and love today. Following the departure of the British after nearly 200 years of what is known as the ‘British Raj’ (or ‘British Rule’), India suffered a period of turmoil, with Pakistan off from India, but it has since risen to become one of the main superpowers of the modern world.